By Tom Rock
A couple of things that came out of the Jets’ closed-door scrimmage in the cavernous Gi@%&$ Stadium, not all of them good.
The Jets are still considering trading for a running back to replace Curtis Martin – Cleveland’s Lee Suggs is that latest rumored to join the list of candidates – and the three who played yesterday did very little to distinguish themselves and call off those overtures. The longest run from scrimmage was seven yards, and it came from Derrick Blaylock. Beyond that, the second longest was five and it came on a scramble by Brooks Bollinger. Granted, there was no formal tackling. Officials spotted the ball as best they could based on the physical two-hand-touch methods set out in the rules by the Jets. So there was no chance for any of them to break a tackle, a considerable disadvantage. Still, there were too many one and two yard running plays and not enough 5s and 6s. The one good part was the running backs’ role in the passing game. It looks as if whoever lines up in the backfield will be a big part of this offense, even if it isn’t on the ground.
Mangini said he was happy with the mistakes made by players and coaches over the weekend because it gives him “teaching tools.” Yes. I suppose he would have been heart-broken had the Jets returned to Hofstra after a perfect performance. He seemed especially (and coyly) concerned about offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s play-calling, even though the O.C. was working with a fraction of his playbook.
“I’m sure as the two offensive coordinators go back to their respective teams and look at what they called, there are going to be times that they think ‘Wow, I really should have done this instead,’” Mangini said. “That’s part of the value of this as well, for Brian, to self-scout himself in those situations.”
A few good points, if you please. There were no turnovers. Pennington looked sharp and his throwing mechanics are so much less strained than they were last training camp. He still has to prove he can take a hit before Mangini officially names him the starter, though. And if the rotation holds and the practice schedule remains the same, it’ll be Pennington’s turn to play with the first team at Friday’s preseason opener in Tampa Bay. The kicking game was decent. Graham’s punts seemed to lack the height and hang time they have at Hofstra. Nugent was the only player to score a point in the scrimmage, kicking three field goals, two for the Green team and one for the Whites. But he also missed a 50-yarder wide right and came up short on a 56-yarder at the end of the first half. There was a confusing penalty after that miss, with four seconds left, and the ball was re-spotted on the 23 for another Nugent attempt. This one sailed through from 41 yards. I wonder if Mangini orchestrated that penalty to give his kicker another chance and end the period on a good note.
Pete Kendall summed up the experience, saying it was better than a practice but not as good as a game. When he was talking about the lack of a crowd, Cimini noted that there was no booing.
“Yeah,” Kendall said, “they shouldn’t get too used to that, I suppose.”